


Lose You to Love Me

by BlueLegends



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27083374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueLegends/pseuds/BlueLegends
Summary: Marinette had the last straw when she was expelled from her school. She had been almost akumatized and surrendered to Hawkmoth. Most importantly, she almost gave up being Ladybug. With a promise to be never let herself be betrayed again, she tries to make a fresh start and be unapologetically herself.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette couldn't believe it. After everything they'd been through together, her friends didn't believe her. Madame Bustier didn't think twice before accusing her of this. The principal just called her parents and expelled her.

Her friends who she'd stood up for so many times didn't trust her.

After everything she'd done for her friends and her school, why was it so easy for everyone to believe Lila over her ?

On top of it, everyone wanted her to forgive and forget and act as if nothing happened?

It was too much.

She couldn't do it. As hard as it was, she needed a fresh start. Francoise Dupont High was too toxic for her.

Alya may have stood up for her but she genuinely believed Lila to be a genuine friend.

Adrien was constantly telling her to be on the morally high ground. Who was she kidding ? She may have fallen in love with him but he was too kind. She was slowly losing herself in order to impress a guy who already told her he'd a crush on somebody else. It was time to move on.

She had her parents and Tikki always supporting her. And for now, that was going to be enough.

She won't be heartbroken again... not by the betrayal of her friends nor by her silly crush on Adrien.

It was time to move on and grow up.

* * *

Marinette remembered the exact moment she snapped and blurted about everything that was troubling her to her parents.

"I'm glad her disability is not stopping her from following her dreams" Sabine said, watching Adrien and Lila model on the television screen.

Marinette couldn't take it anymore. Lila had already fooled her friends, she couldn't let her do the same to her family.

"Mom, dad... She doesn't have any disability." She said slowly.

"But she told-" Sabine started.

"How can you be so sure ?" Thomas asked carefully. He hadn't trusted a single word of that brunette.

"Because she lied. She fooled all my friends with her lies. And when I saw through her, she threatened me..." Marinette said, her fists tightening around her purse. She could feel Tikki snuggling against her shirt pocket, giving her the courage to tell her parents.

"Threatened ?" Her father glared.

"She threatened to turn everyone against me and she did. Well except Alya and Adrien. Adrien knows that she is lying but won't tell anyone because her lies doesn't hurt anyone and Alya... she believes that I'm not good friends with her because I'm jealous that she's going to get together with Adrien. That's not true. And I hate when she does that patronising thing with her voice and I don't say anything because she's my only friend." She ranted. "Lila lies, mom. She says the things that everyone wants to hear and gets her to believe her. And they did. They chose her over me."

She burst into tears. "I did everything from them from standing up for them every second they needed it to countless hours of free babysitting. And none of them believed me, not Madame Bustier..."

"We believe you." Sabine said, hugging her. "Marinette, you should told us this the moment it started."

"We'll talk to the Principal. We'll contact her parents. We'll get to the bottom of this." Her father promised.

"Is it worth it ?" Marinette asked. "She can weasel her way out of everything, dad. She can lie about you guys too. I won't have that. I won't have people thinking of you as bad people. She can ruin our bakery-"

"Marinette darling, do you even hear yourself right now ?" Tom asked. "No little girl can ruin our bakery. We're Paris' best bakery and people believe in us for years."

"But in school-"

"Your friends are kids, Mari. They're naive. For the teachers, what more can you expect from a principal who's on the Mayor's payroll ? If they don't believe in you, it's their loss Marinette." Sabine reassured. "And since when are you so cynical ? Everything worked out, remember ? You weren't expelled and-"

"Mom, I was almost akumatized. Twice, because of this girl. And I almost gave up - I gave up who I was to Hawkmoth. It'll be harder if I have to do this all day everyday. I don't know what to do. I just can't do that everyday. I can't listen to Lila and I can't call her out because my friends won't believe me." She said, wiping her eyes. "I am sorry Mom, Dad... Bothering you with this at this age like a child-"

"Stop this. You're our daughter. You should have come to us way before this. We're always there for you. Your problem is our problem, no matter how small it may seem." Sabine said gently. "And this is not small or petty. This girl harassed you. It's no mayter to laugh at. I won't have anyone doing that to you ever again."

"Mom, it's not just her. It's the way she has everyone on her side. I was there for them for years and she just swoops in and-"

"The world is not fair, sweetheart. I am proud of you for sticking to your values." Sabine smiled. "But we need to do something. You're right. It's not that girl. It's your friends too."

"Your mother's right, Mari. Every relationship, be it friendship should be based on one thing- mutual respect. The way I see it, your friends are taking advantage of you without standing up for you when you need them. Your teachers too..."

"We've seen you work hours after hours. School work, commissions, designing and on top of that instead of helping you, your friends guilt trip you to doing their work as well-" Sabine started. "We didn't say anything because we thought you were happy inspite of this all. But now it's clear Francoise Dupont High is too toxic for you."

"What do you mean ?" Marinette looked up at her.

Her father sat on the sofa on her other side. "Marinette, I think it's time for you to change schools."

"Change schools but my friends- Alya, Adrien ?" She stuttered.

"If they're your true friends, they'll find a way to be by your side even if you're not in the same class." Tom stated. "It's time to think about yourself."

"I have to think about it, Mom, Dad." She said slowly.

"Take your time." Tom said, as he engulfed the two in a bear hug.

* * *

Marinette paused for a second before calling Alya. It would not be fair if she just left without telling the only people who'd still believed in her.

"Hey, girl." Alya smiled at her face as her face appeared on the screen. "Can't wait to see you back in class. It was nice for Lila to finally tell us about her -"

"Are you still sticking out for her ?" Marinette asked pointedly. "Alya, she got me expelled."

"Yeah but she couldn't control it. Her rare disease -"

"Alya, she threatened me before she did all this. That day, when I told you guys that she was lying, she cornered me in the bathroom and threatened me." Marinette said. "You didn't believe me when I told you she was lying. You're just hellbent on telling me that I was acting out of jealousy. Well, maybe at first. But she's a liar."

"Marinette, she's a kind... There must have been a misunderstanding. She would not threaten you." Alya said gently. "And you need to give her a chance. She is a good person-"

"Just because she tells Ladybug's best friend. Because she tells she's friends with celebrities. Did you ever check her facts ? You're supposed to be a reporter. Shouldn't reporters always check their sources ?" Marinette glared at her. "And after every thing she did. She framed me for cheating. She faked an injury. She got me expelled for god's sake. Instead of being there for me and believing me when I needed my friends, you guys didn't and that hurt."

"Marinette-"

"I've been the bigger person but it's hard to be with friends who believe a liar over you. That girl threatened me that she'd take away all my friends and she did that, Alya. She lied and took away all of you. She didn't even have to try that much to make you guys her lackeys. She just told what you wanted to hear."

"That's not-" Alya seemed shocked to say anything. Marinette let a few tears roll down her cheek.

"Has she ever given you an interview with Ladybug ? I did. Has Jagged Stone ever tell the world about Lila saving his cat ? He didn't because he never had one. Instead of believing the one who has been with him, designed his album cover and glasses, you believed a stranger over him." She said angrily.

"Marinette, calm down-"

"You don't believe me, do you ?"

"I don't -" Alya stuttered.

"And that's exactly why I've switched schools."

"What ?" Alya shouted.

"I could go back to class and expose her lies. All I'd need to do is make a call to Jagged, put it on speaker and ask if he knows Lila. But I won't fight for people who believe in a liar over a friend they've grown up with. Besides, that's too petty for me. I'm having a fresh start."

"But what about me ?"

"I'm just changing schools not cities, Alya. If you really want me as your friend, you can come over anytime but you need to believe me. You don't and I can't trust you anymore. All that takes for evil to win is that good people do nothing. Sometimes the good people lose even after trying. If the people they're trying to protect don't believe in her, is there any point in protecting them ?"

"What about Adrien ?"

"I'm over him. He knew about the lies from the start yet he told me to not tell them because they were quote unquote harmless."

"He did ?" Alya's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me ?"

"Would you have believed me ?"

Alya looked down sheepishly before looking back with a determined look in her eyes. "But I believe you now. I'm sorry, Marinette. I was just so caught up that I - Do you forgive me ?"

Marinette smiled sadly. "I don't know if I should. You asked me for proof so many times. You never believed me even when I did. Yet you never asked Lila for proofs. I think we should talk after you set your facts straight."

She cut the call.

* * *

Alya just couldn't believe herself. What the hell had she done !

The last ten minutes, she'd spent her time actually verifying Lila's claims. And they weren't even that hard to disprove. How could she have fallen for that!

Alya facepalmed herself. She was aspiring to be an investigative reporter not a tabloid writer!

She hadn't been a good friend either. Lila had gotten away with threatening her best friend just because she'd not believed Marinette... her first friend here.

It was time to set things right.

She quickly deleted all of Lila's interviews.

Alya called Marinette again. It went unanswered.

* * *

The next day...

Sabine Cheng knocked on Principal Damocles' office.

"Come in."

She entered. Damocles looked up. "Is there anything I can help you with, Madame Cheng

?"

"No. I just came to get Marinette's files. She's changing schools."

Damocles looked at her shocked.

"Why ? Is there any problem ?" He asked hurriedly.

"Yes. There is definitely a problem. Your school is a toxic environment and I won't let my daughter set my foot here ever again." She glared at him.

"Sabine, please. It was an isolated incident. Marinette is safe here -"

"Is she ? You expelled my daughter on a whim yet was there any punishment for Lila ?"

"Madame Cheng, I don't think it was necessary. What happened was because of Lila's own disease-"

"Did you check her medical records, sir. Did you verify her claims? That girl threatened my daughter, faked injuries to frame her and yet you didn't punish that girl." Sabine narrowed her eyes. "That speaks a lot. Besides that is the fact that you accused my daughter, a good girl who was always good in studies and the class president for cheating. And she was bullied by Chloe for years and you let it continue just because you're afraid of the mayor. Do you have anything to say for yourself ?"

"I ..." Damocles looked down. All these things were true and he hadn't taken any action.

"I want Marinette's files-"

Just then, Mme Bustier walked in.

"I've heard everything. I'm so sorry but please don't do this, Sabine. Marinette is my favourite student-"

"Really. You didn't think so when she was accused of cheating or when she was expelled. But now that she's leaving of her own accord, you two are suddenly so fond of my daughter."

Damocles opened a desk and took out a file from a pile.

He gave it to Sabine, smiling sadly.

"I know we treated your daughter unfairly-"

"Please don't try to change my mind. Marinette deserves a better school and teachers who believe in her. Save the excuses for the school board. I've already sent a complaint to the directors and talked personally to them over this matter. There will be an investigation." With this, she stormed out of the office, leaving the two teachers shocked at the sudden turn of events.

* * *

Adrien smiled as he entered the class. He hated being in a photoshoot with Lila, but it was worth it. Marinette was going to be back in school.

How even had Lila got into the photoshoot though? He'd look into that but for now, he was happy that Marinette was back.

He took his seat beside Nino. He saw that Alya was sitting alone. Marinette was going to be late as usual, he supposed.

Mme Bustier entered the class with a sad look on her face.

"Lila Rossi, your mother is waiting. Please report to the principal's office." She said icily.

"Me?" Lila asked innocently, though Caline did see a flicker of fear in her eyes. "My mother is here? Are you sure, Madame? She was supposed to be in Africa- Maybe it's a surprise."

"I personally called your mother to learn that both of you were in Paris for the last two years. You have lied so many times, missed classes, put others in trouble, taken advantage of others' goodness and I'm very disappointed in you, Miss Rossi. Your mother is waiting for you. You have broken numerous school rules and it's high time you face the consequences." Caline glared at her.

"There must be a mistake-" She stuttered as all around her, the students started to whisper amongst themselves.

"Save the theatrics, Miss Rossi. And don't forget to take your things with you. I doubt you're coming back here."

Lila looked at her with wide eyes and started tearing up.

"Stop crying, you mangy liar. It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Chloe shouted.

"You lied to us." Alya said coldly. "You framed Marinette, threatened her even. You don't know Ladybug or Jagged Stone or Prince Ali. You're a liar."

"No-" Lila said. "I..."

"Stop wasting my time, Lila Rossi. Go now." Caline ordered. The italian girl hurried out of the classroom, shocked.

Adrien couldn't believe it. How did something like this happen overnight? Then he saw something... Marinette still hadn't arrived.

"Alya, where's Marinette?" He asked.

Alya glared at him. "You knew all this time that Lila's lying and you never told us."

"You knew, dude?" Nino asked.

"Yeah. But her lies didn't hurt anybody. I guessed she was just lying to fit in."

"Didn't hurt anybody?" Alya repeated menacingly. "It hurt Marinette, you stupid oaf! It hurt us when she used us. And you could have stopped all of this. You could have stopped Marinette from leaving the school-"

That drew everybody's attention.

"Marinette left?" Rose asked tearfully. "Why?"

"Because of you idiots!" Chloe laughed gleefully. "You didn't believe Dupain Cheng when she said Lila was lying. You chose that liar over her. And you still believe she'd stay with you peasants."

"You bullied her for years, Chloe." Nathaniel glared at her.

"I did. But I never lied about it. I didn't pretend to be someone else. Marinette's a good person and frankly, I'm glad she came to her senses. You didn't deserve her." She smirked at them.

Adrien stuttered. "Why would she leave? I did the photoshoot with Lila to make her confess. She wasn't expelled. Why would she leave?"

"Because Adrikins, when mom asked her to go to New York, other institutions in Paris noticed her. Before this Lie-la incident, she wanted to be with friends. Now she is thinking for herself." Chloe said, looking down at them.

"How do you know all these?" Alya asked.

"Because Marinette is going to International Arts Academy of Paris, where my mom is a director. Before you know it, she's going to take over the world of fashion and you're not going to be a part of that, losers." Chloe gloated.

* * *

Marinette looked at her new school. She had got an offer to study here a few months back.

It was going to be a fresh start.

"Marinette?" She turned around to see a familiar face smiling at her.

"Luka!" She launched herself at him, hugging him. Things were looking up after all.

Marinette twirled her hair as Luka escorted her to her class.

"You'll love it here." Luka smiled at her. "But why did you ... Did something happen back in your old school?"

"Yeah." She nodded, linking her arm with his. "A lot of things actually. I was expelled and none of my friends stood up for me. I needed a fresh start."

"I see." He nodded, not asking more. "You seem different, Marinette. Your song is less refrained."

He played a tune in his guitar. "Like this..."

Marinette smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Your class should be that way." He pointed at a classroom directly in front of them. "If there's any problem, just call. Though you won't need to."

"Thanks Luka." Marinette smiled, kissing his cheek before detaching her hands and entering her new class.

There was already a teacher there. She had sunglasses, short red hair and a pointed chin.

"You must be Marinette. I am your new teacher, Valerie Valentine." She smiled, ushering her in.

The class resembled her old classroom. The students were chit-chatting amongst themselves.

"Class, listen up. We have a new student joining us today." Valerie shouted. "Please welcome Marinette Dupain Cheng."

The class stopped. Some students smiled at her while others just looked at her.

"Marinette, your seat is in the second row, beside Zara." Valerie said, pointing towards a vacant seat beside a red haired girl.

She nodded, heading for her seat.

* * *

AGRESTE MANSION

Gabriel couldn't believe it. That wretched girl, Lila not only got herself in juvenile prison but also got him tangled up in all this mess. Now Adrien suspected him of sabotaging his school life, which he no doubt did but he hadn't expected the consequences to be this drastic... Who would have thought Miss Dupain Chengs would have filed a lawsuit against Lila and the school faculty. As a result, not only did the girl get expelled but also ended up in juvenile prison for bullying others and as recent evidence pointed... getting willingly akumatised. The principal and the homeroom teacher were fired. There was a major shuffling of the faculty.

Lila ended up telling the court that she'd a deal with Mr Gabriel Agreste to take care of Adrien and keep him away from hid friends. Thankfully, no one believed the liar except his son, who saw right through him.

As a result, he was down a valuable ally. Hawkmoth could still akumatise Lila Rossi but after what he'd just witnessed, she was an unpredictable player... a gamble he couldn't entertain anymore.

He needed a new target. Not only had he lost his chance to akumatize Marinette, but also his main targets- the emotional youths of Francoise Dupont High had been blocked from his manipulation.

It was back to square one. Random akumas.

His plans may have backfired but he'd still win the war.

The miraculouses would be his. And he would resurrect Emilie.

The three of them would be a family again.

* * *

Adrien sat in his car, as Gorilla drived him home.

Marinette had left. If only he'd acted sooner...

Alya's words still echoed in his head.

**_"You told her not to expose Lila's lies. How could you ?"Adrien looked down. "I thought she was just trying to fit in. I didn't-"_ **

**_"Think that her lies could hurt anybody. Bullshit!" Alya shouted. "You're a pushover, Adrien. Can't believe Marinette actually liked you. Glad she's over you now."_ **

**_"What-"_ **

**_"And why was Lila at your photoshoot anyway? What does your father have to do with all this?"_ **

**_"I don't know-"_ **

**_"Of course you don't know-" Alya said annoyed._ **

**_"What was that supposed to mean?" Adrien asked darkly._ **

**_"Your father was involved in this somehow. I have a hunch-"_ **

**_"The same hunch that had you believe Lila is Ladybug's bff."_ **

**_"Shove off, Agreste. You know the scarf your father gifted you for your birthday. That wasn't him. It was Marinette. Your father and Nathalie stole her gift and passed it onto you. Who does that?"_ **

**_"What-"_ **

**_"And when your dad threatened to pull you out from school when Lila stole some book of yours, Marinette took the fall and returned the book. She's been saving your ass all this time and didn't even take credit just so you believe that your father loves you."_ **

**_"I didn't-"_ **

**_"I wasn't there for Marinette when she needed me. But I sure as hell gonna be there for her now." Alya said, tears streaming from her eyes as she rushed out of the classroom._ **

**_Adrien didn't know what to think._ **

**_He walked back to his room, barely registering Nathalie's words and slammed the door shut._ **

**_Then he opened his cupboard and took out his scarf. On close inspection, he found a small M in dark blue wool etched in it._ **

**_"Marinette..." He said sadly, clutching the scarf tightly._ **

**_His father wasn't the man he thought he was. Neither was Nathalie for that matter._ **

And Marinette... she truly did care for him.

He'd been a callous and oblivious friend.

"Hey kid, it wasn't... well, I am not going to lie. It is a tinsy bit your fault." Plagg said.

"I know." Adrien nodded. "I need to fix this. Plagg, claws out!"


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette tried to listen to her teacher. But her mind kept wandering.

It was supposed to be her fresh start. A new beginning away from the heartbreaks and betrayals. Then why did she feel so lost?

Had she overreacted?

The same students who'd refused to believe in her, had been her dear friends. They had even stood up to her akumatised grandmother to protect her on her birthday.

Lila was the culprit but they had been her friends.

Maybe she shouldn't have left.

No, whatever she'd done was the right thing. If her friends wanted to remain part of her life, she'd gladly welcome them back with open arms. But she had to think of herself first. Her old school was simply too toxic for her. And this one had better prospects.

The bell rang and jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Hi, I am Zara." The red haired girl said, extending her hand. "But you already know that."

Marinette smiled, shaking her hand.

"Hey. I know you. You work with Jagged Stone." The boy sitting behind them said.

She turned around to see him. He was fair skinned with silver white hair styled in a messy pompadour. Marinette noticed he was in all white. "Yeah. I occasionally do. Didn't think I'd get noticed though."

"You kidding. I loved the episode you were on. It was funny. I was hoping you'd return for a second episode." He smirked. "My name's Seamus Adams."

"Yeah. My role in that episode was kinda unscripted." Marinette said sheepishly. "Nice outfit by the way. Love it."

"Designed it myself." He said proudly.

"You did? That's awesome. I design my own clothes too." She smiled at him widely.

"We can collaborate sometimes." Seamus suggested.

Marinette nodded excitedly. It was the first time she'd met someone who was into fashion, the way she was. Not everybody was bold enough to wear the clothes they themselves designed.

"Great. We now have two of them." The girl sitting beside Seamus groaned. "Hi. I'm Hazel Allen."

Hazel had beautiful dark skin, black hair braided neatly, wearing a violet top with blue jeans.

"I'm not into fashion, just so you know. But I'm totally into Jagged Stone." She smiled. "You met him. How's he like? Did you see his crocodile?"

Marinette laughed. "Yeah he's awesome. And Fang is basically a cute puppy."

"Great. Hey Julie !" Hazel called out to a girl sitting on the opposite side of the classroom. "Come here quickly. This gal met Jagged Stone."

'Julie' on first glance, reminded her of Juleka. She looked like a red haired version of her old friend.

"That's Julie, my sister. Don't mind her. She can be a bit shy." Hazel said.

Julie came towards them. It wasn't hard to see the resemblance to her sister. They had the same green eyes... Green, just like Adrien. Oh, she did miss him. But that obsession, just like everything else back in her old school was unhealthy.

She did love him genuinely but that had quickly turned to an addiction. An endless cycle of making exaggerated plans to propose to him and then making a fool of herself in front of him. She couldn't stand up to him or accept the flaws in him. Just like everybody else, he was a normal person and she'd forgotten that.

Enough of that... She needed to stop thinking about him or anyone else. She needed to focus on the present.

Julie wasn't the only one who came. Just as people heard Jagged Stone's name, a couple of people turned their ears to her.

But she was used to that by now.

"I just design covers and accessories for him sometime. That's all." Marinette said as some students started asking some questions. After that, they quickly dissipated.

Julie was seated next to Hazel, who bit her lips. "Yeah, sorry. Probably shouldn't have shouted."

"It's okay." She nodded at her.

"Hey, Mari. Can I call you Mari?" Zara asked.

"Yeah." Marinette said. "It sounds nice. Nobody ever called me that but I like it."

"Really. It's an obvious choice. It sounds cool too." Seamus said.

"So, go on 'Mari'. Tell us something about yourself." A girl said, sneaking up behind her. "I'm Jade Stone by the way."

"Hi. Nice to meet you." She shook her hand. "Well, I like designing, baking-"

"Wait. Dupain Cheng ?" Jade asked. "You own the Dupain Cheng Bakery?"

"Yeah. Technically my parents own it but-"

"That's my favourite." Zara said, hugging her. "I'm keeping you. Will you marry me? You can give me baked sweets everyday."

Marinette laughed, for the first time in months.

* * *

Chat Noir leapt across roofs, heading towards the Dupain Cheng household. He needed to know if Marinette was okay.

He landed in a deserted alley across the streets and detransformed.

"Kid, don't screw up." Plagg said. "Humans are needlessly far more complicated than cheese."

Adrien nodded, running towards the Bakery. He entered and much to his surprise, found most of his classmates already there... Kim, Max, Rose, Juleka, Marc, Nathaniel, Mylene, Ivan, Nino and Alya.

"Took you long enough, sunshine." Kim said pointedly.

"What are you guys doing here ?" He asked.

"Same as you apparently... Checking on Marinette." Nino said.

Sabine smiled, seeing all of them seated in the bakery, occupying most of the seats. "Marinette will be happy to see all of you. She'll be here soon."

"Running late always. Classic Dupain Cheng." A pointed voice said, as two other people entered the bakery.

"Chloe, why are you here?" Alya asked pointedly.

"To see Marinette..." Sabrina answered.

"The question is why are you dumbos here?" Chloe smirked. "You weren't there when she needed you. Why now?"

"Chloe..." Adrien said.

"What?" She asked blatantly. "It's true."

* * *

Marinette let her hair down after Zara's insistence. She laughed for the first time in weeks at Seamus' jokes and Hazel's dry sarcasm.

But something unnerved her about Jade. She seemed familiar but Marinette could not figure out how. And that girl was polite but by now, Marinette knew there was something wrong by the way she spoke to her.

She met up with Luka after her classes, who insisted to drop her home.

"Your hair. It looks pretty, Marinette." He said.

"Thanks, Luka." She smiled, holding his arm as they headed home. They talked about their classes and music.

They entered the bakery with smiles on their faces, only to be taken aback when they saw all the people waiting inside.

"Marinette, your friends are here." Sabine said.

"Hi..." She waved at them.

Rose and Mylene leapt at her, enveloping her in a bear hug.

"We're so sorry, Marinette." Rose sniffed.

"Yeah, girl." Alya smiled, patting her shoulder. "The class isn't the same without you."

"Neither is the artroom." Nathaniel said.

"We miss you, Marinette." Nino stated.

"Guys..." She smiled, blinking back tears. "I miss you guys too."

"We're sorry, Marinette." Mylene whispered. "We knew you for years but we didn't believe you. We're so sorry."

"Please come back." Ivan said.

Marinette smiled sadly, stepping back. "I can't do that, guys."

"Why not? Lila's gone. We promise we'll always believe in you." Kim said softly.

"It's not just that. I needed a fresh start and I really like my new school." She replied. "The truth is I got the offer months back. I didn't join. After the Lila incident, I realized I needed to put myself first."

"But we're your friends, right?" Alix asked.

"Always. That'll never change." She said.

"Then we're happy for you. But no matter what, you still have to join us for outings and hanging out. Just because we're in different schools, doesn't mean you can forget us." Alya said.

"I thought you people had forgotten me." Marinette admitted sadly.

"Never." Adrien grinned. "How could we? You're our everyday ladybug."

"Yeah. You've always been there for us." Juleka said.

"And even though we weren't there for you when you needed us, we promise it won't ever happen again." Alix said.

"Guys, it means a lot." Marinette smiled, hugging them.

"Ridiculous... Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe said, stepping forwards. "You really are the nicest person in the world, aren't you, Dupain Cheng?"

"Is that a compliment, Chloe?"

"Don't get used to it." The blond sniffed. "I only came for macarons."

* * *

Jade pursed her lips, her eyes fixated on her labtop screen.

Marinette Dupain Cheng... She was an upcoming fashion designer, recognised by Gabriel Agreste, Clara Nightingale, Audrey Bourgeois and last but not least... Jagged Stone.

She clicked on videos that showed Jagged praising Marinette. How come Jagged always praised Marinette but never mentioned his own family not even once? She missed her brother but clearly, her brother had forgotten all about his family once he became famous.

Jade gritted her teeth, not noticing a purple butterfly enter her laptop.

Dark energy enveloped her as Hawkmoth's voice echoed in her ears.

* * *

Her mobile beeped. It was the Ladyblog.

There was an akuma attack in Jagged Stone's concert.

Marinette shared a worried glance with Tikki. She opened the hatch to the balcony and went up. Looking around to see if there was anyone watching, she nodded.

"Tikki, Spots on !"

In a wave of pink and red lights, she transformed into Ladybug. Spinning her yoyo, she leapt from the roof.

Jagged Stone was not a stranger to akuma attacks.

So when a blue skinned girl in an emo attire with a guitar appeared to threaten him, he was hardly surprised.

"Hello, remember me ?" She asked, charging at him with her guitar.

As the security personnel tried to stop her, she fired some fluorescent rays from her guitar, which turned them into album covers.

"Should I ? Can't we just rock an' roll this one out?" Jagged asked.

His crocodile lunged at her, only to be zapped by electricity. The rockstar looked on as an album cover featuring his crocodile fell at his feet.

"Yes, Jagged. You most definitely should remember your own family." She growled.

"Jade?" He gasped. "What happened to you?"

"Jade is gone. I'm the Album Maker. And you should be more concerned with what's about to happen to you." She raised her guitar, crackling with electricity.

Just then, something kicked the villain out of the way.

Chat Noir landed in front of Jagged, rotating his baton. "Run now!"

Penny quickly ushered Jagged to a car and drove away.

The Album Maker staggered, before standing up.

"Give me your miraculous." She demanded.

Just then a yoyo smashed against her, knocking her forwards.

"Ladybug !" She snarled.

"Sorry for being late, chaton !" Ladybug ran up to Chat Noir. She saw the albums littered all over the floor.

"It's in her guitar." Chat Noir said.

"Right." Ladybug nodded, throwing her yoyo which made a loop around the guitar and tugged it out of the villain's grasp. It slammed to the ground and shattered.

But nothing changed.

The Album Maker laughed. "Do you really think it'd be that easy. I'm not like your other foes. I for one have common sense."

"That has never happened before." Chat mused. "Maybe it's somewhere else-"

"Who says the akuma is on me right now ?" The villain smirked. "I like being the new me. Frankly I don't wanna change. And bringing the akuma to battle with me would be a liability. I can't believe Hawkmoth didn't figure it out before."

Purple energy washed over her before she vanished.

"How ?" Chat asked.

"Most akumatised objects are sentimental to the victim and they don't part with it or hide it. The closer it is, more powerful they are. This one is different. Maybe the object was not anything that special to her. I don't know, it's different. But at the same time, she is lacking fighting prowess. So once we corner her, she'd be easy to defeat." Ladybug deduced. "We don't even know who she is."

"Wait. Jagged Stone called her Jade." Chat said. "I think your favourite rockstar knows her personally. Think it's time to pay him a visit?"

"Wait. Stone... Jade- Jade Stone ?"

"Is she anybody you know, Bugaboo?"

"Not sure, Kitty." Ladybug replied. "You're right. We need to know what Jagged knows. To the Grand Paris Hotel ! You're dealing with Chloe this time."

"Not again. Wait, my lady-" Chat said but Ladybug was already swinging across the rooftops.

Chat looked at her with a lovesick look in his eyes before following her.

* * *

Jagged frowned as the car headed towards the hotel. Most of the time he was in Paris, he stayed in the hotel. His relations with his family were a little estranged. His parents had never supported his eccentric tastes in music and as a result, he hadn't reached out to them after he became famous. It slipped his mind that he'd neglected his younger siblings too. The ones who genuinely believed in him. Jade and Casey.

And the akuma was most definitely Jade.

What had he done? For the first time in his life, he thought of his family again. He missed them.

If anything, he should've at least tried to keep in touch with his sisters.

He took out his phone and called his mother.

"Jagged?" His mother's voice wavered.

"Mom. Where is Jade?" He asked hurriedly.

"Um... She must be in her room. Why?"

"Can you get her?" He asks.

"Yeah, sure." She replies. There was the sound of footsteps, a door opening and then, a scream ... that of his mother's.

"Mom!" He yelled.

Just then, there was a thud... the sound of the phone dropping.

"Damn it!" He cursed. Penny looked at him worriedly.

"Hello, brother." It was Jade. "You finally remembered us. How long did it take? 4... No 5 years?"

"Jade, listen to me. Whatever Hawkmoth has promised you, it's a lie."

"The only liar is you. A man who abandoned his family for fame." She shouted at him. "Don't worry, Jagged. I'm coming after you."

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed in front of the hotel and just in time. Jagged exited his car and seeing the heroes, he made a beeline towards him.

"The Akuma... it's my sister, Jade." He said.

"You have a sister?" Chat perked his eyebrows.

"Yes. We haven't been rockn'roll for a while. I think that's why she was akumatized." He replied.

"We can help you but we need to know where she lives." She asked.

"12, Haven Street." Jagged said. "Please save her. I feel like the worst brother in the world."

"Hey, we all make mistakes." Ladybug smiled, patting his shoulder. "What matters is how you fix them."

Her ear rings started beeping, so did Chat's ring.

"Great!" She huffed. "Chat, we'll meet in her house. She is hiding her akuma somewhere there."

They ran in opposite directions, searching for a safe place to detransform.

* * *

Ladybug landed on her feet in front of Jade's house. Now where was that alley cat of hers?

Just then, Chat ran up to her.

"Running?" She asked quizzically.

"Yeah. Figured we should probably not alert the akuma we're on to her."

"We can't just barge in either. She may be standing on the other side and turn us into album covers the moment we enter." She stated.

"Album covers... Great, the akumas become weirder day by day." Chat made a face.

"I have a weird idea. I don't know if it works though." Ladybug mused. "Remember when I look for random objects. Well, my powers kind of make them stand out. I'm thinking if I can use them now to search for Album maker."

"Like a heat signal scanner." Chat caught on.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Lucky Spot!"

She could now see through the house. There seemed to be no one on the first floor. On the second floor, there was one figure covered in red and black spots. And there was an object nearby covered in black. It was a laptop. These powers were great! Why hadn't she used them before!

"Got anything, my lady?" Chat asked.

"I did." She smiled. "She's on the top floor. I even detected the akuma. It's in a laptop."

"Great! You now have supervision." He said.

"No. I don't think that's it. I guess hiding your akuma elsewhere comes with a disadvantage of it being detected. That's why most of them have it on person." She mused.

"Glad we figured that out." Chat said, reaching for his baton.

"Yeah. We go in through the windows, engage her, break the laptop." She said, swinging her yo-yo. It latched on a pipe coming out above the closed windows. She jumped up, letting the momentum guide her, the yo-yo shortening and she smashed through the windows.

The villain looked at her, taken aback as glass shattered on the floor. Chat rushed in after her. Spotting the laptop, he lunged after it as Ladybug deflected her energy blasts with her yoyos.

"Cataclysm!" He shouted, grabbing the laptop from the table. It turned into dust and a purple butterfly flew out of it. With purple smoke, the Album Maker reverted to Jade.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo, capturing the akuma.

"No more evil doing, akuma!" She shouted, retracting the yo-yo in her palm. It opened and a white butterfly flew out. "Bye-bye little butterfly!"

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted, raising her hand as a stream of red ladybugs spread across the city and the albums reverted to actual people all over Paris.

"Maman!" Jade cried, hugging her mother. She turned towards the heroes and smiled warmly. "Thank you."

The heroes nodded, before fistbumping each other. "Pound it!"

They made their way through the stairs, alongside Jade and her mother.

"I don't know what came over me. I was thinking about this new girl in this school and how she's close to Jagged." Jade looked down at her feet. "I felt jealous and before I knew it, I was akumatized. I never thought it'd happen to me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Jade. The only one who should be sorry is Hawkmoth. Besides you should never feel sorry for how you feel." Ladybug said, hugging her.

Jade nodded. Chat opened the door and they exited the house.

"Later, Kitty!" She shouted, swinging her yo-yo and heading left.

"Au revoir, my lady!" She heard back. She smiled. Honestly, the attention she received from him was flattering. It hurt her sometimes that she couldn't love him back the way he wanted. He deserved someone better.

As she swung across rooftops, she spotted a familiar limo making it's way towards Jade's home. She could see Penny and Jagged hold hands through the tinted glasses of the car. Marinette smiled. Usually she was angry at Hawkmoth, but today she felt maybe out of all this fighting, something good may happen... A family could be reunited.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette saw Jade sitting in a corner of the classroom. She'd seen it with akuma victims before. They isolate themselves even though they have no reason to blame themselves. The mind control aspect was hard. Someone twisting your mind and bringing out your worst and vindictive selves was not something to be taken lightly. She remembered the few seconds she'd been under Hawkmoth's control... she'd been ready to rip out Lila's throat. Not that she didn't deserve it.

"Hey, you doing okay after yesterday?" She asked, sitting beside Jade.

"I'm fine." She replied.

"If you need to talk, I'm here." Marinette reassured, heading over to her seat beside Zara.

"Thanks." She smiled back.

Marinette took out her sketchbook and tried to design something random, while waiting for the teacher to come in.

It needed to be something different... a jacket maybe. She made the base. She had a sudden stroke of inspiration. She always felt a bit uncomfortable in the screen tight bodysuit as Ladybug. What if she could change the design a bit? Master Fu said it was possible.

She started sketching a new costume. It had a loose shirt and casual jeans. She added in a jacket. Maybe she will change her hairstyle as well. Like a ponytail instead of pigtails.

Just then, the teacher came in. He was fairly young and definitely easy on the eyes. He was a very handsome japanese man with smooth jet black hair, slight scruffle and pale skin wearing a black jacket over red shirt and denims. She shut her sketchbook and took out her notebook.

"Who's this?" She asked Zara.

"This is Shinso Kioshi. We call him Kioshi Sensei. He is the physics teacher and runs a karate club. Definitely the hottest guy in the universe." Zara whispered back, running her hand through her hair and pushing a few loose strands back her ear.

"We have a new student, I hear." He said, sipping his coffee.

Marinette raised her hand.

"Good. Your name, miss?" He asked.

"Marinette Dupain Cheng."

"Nice. We'll be starting the unit on motion in three dimensions today. If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to ask." He said kindly.

She nodded.

"Now, does anyone know about vectors?"

* * *

Lila couldn't believe it. In one day, all her lies have been unravelled. All thanks to Marinette!

Who would have thought the girl can do something like leave the stupid school? Now she was the one expelled and those stupid teachers were suspended by the Board.

A statement from Ladyblog denounced all her claims.

Apparently another statement by Ladybug to the press has surfaced where she told that Lila deliberately tried to hurt her by manipulating Oni Chan. The authorities investigated and now they found footage of her snatching butterflies and getting intentionally akumatised.

However all records of her talking to Gabriel Agreste had vanished. Nobody believed her when she said he was the one telling her to turn the class against Marinette and "look after" Adrien.

Now, she was supposed to go to a juvenile prison pending a trial, which she would definitely lose.

She bit her lips. She needed to get of the house before anyone noticed.

Lila packed a bag of essentials and sneaked out of the door.

A runaway... Was that all she was now? Heck, a week ago, she was in a freaking photoshoot with Adrien and now she was running away from her own home!

She wasn't going to stay away forever. A few days somewhere nearby and then she'd turn up with a sob story. Everyone would be so pleased to see her safe return, they would vouch for her. And then, she would show Marinette what she could really do...

Oh, Lila! If only life was so simple.

The moment she stepped out of her home in the middle of the night, she made the biggest mistake of her life.

* * *

"Borrow!" Alix screamed desperately, jumping through the time hole before the wave of temporal distortion hit her. She watched from her pocket dimension as the various screens she used to monitor the timeline become blank.

She could not comprehend what just happened. She had witnessed several disruptions in the space-time continuum but nothing this drastic. Furthermore, time was fractured.

She flicked the screens away till she pinpointed the source of the distortion. Marinette changing schools. Wait, this never happened.

Something was seriously wrong.

Bunnyx opened her umbrella and tried to jump to the past, only for her to be thrown back.

No... She realized with horror. This was bad, really really bad!

Whatever happened created a fixed point in time. This was irreversible.

Still, the future could still be salvaged.

Alix flipped through the screens, locating an appropriate point, where the timeline was still malleable. She needed to act fast.

* * *

Just before Lila could open the door, someone coughed from behind her.

"Going somewhere?"

Lila rolled her eyes and turned around. She modulated her voice and plastered the sweetest smile on her face.

"Just for a walk, Emi. You should go back to sleep, sis."

"A walk in the middle of the night." Came the nonplussed reply. Her younger sister, who looked a lot like her, turned on the lights and stalked towards her.

"Look, what you did was horrible but we still love you and we're doing everything we can to help you get out of this hell you've dug yourself into." Emily said. "Just work with us, okay? Mom has the best lawyers working for you."

"Lawyers who give false promises." Lila spat, all pretence of acting innocent gone. "I heard them talking, Emi. I have to go to juvenile prison for two years."

"After what you did, that's literally the best case scenario." Her sister said. "You lied, threatened an innocent girl, framed her and got her expelled. Also, you helped a magical terrorist attack Paris."

"It's not my fault." The Italian girl whispered.

"Sure it isn't." Emi snorted, taking her hand and dragging her back to their room. "Don't try anything or I'll wake up mom."

"Do you want my life to be ruined?" Lila glared at her.

"No. I want to help you and whatever you were going to do wouldn't have worked. Everyone knows the real you, now." Her sister snapped. "It's time for you to grow up, Lila."

The girl sulked, following Emi to their room, not for the first time feeling bitter against Marinette Dupain Cheng.

Neither of them noticed a purple butterfly enter through the open windows and flutter near them, hidden in the darkness.

Hawkmoth snarled. It was time for showing the heroes of Paris that he meant business. This foolish battle has gone on for too long and Emilie was slowly slipping away towards death. It was time to send them a message they couldn't ignore anymore.

* * *

Lila smiled, feeling the familiar sense of the akuma against her skin. She looked around and saw her sister to be fast asleep.

"What can I do for you today, Hawkmoth?" She purred.

"I'm giving you the power to take revenge on Marinette Dupain Cheng. While you will soon rot in juvenile prison, she has built a new life for herself. She got back her friends and Adrien."

"And in return, you want their miraculouses." She finished. "I accept."

Bubbles of dark purple energy enveloped her, transforming her into a new form. Her skin became purple and wore a black battlesuit.

"ABSOLUTION, WREAK HAVOC ON PARIS AND CRUSH LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR!" Hawkmoth's voice thundered in her ears, as the magic whisked her away from her bedroom to where she needed to be.

Marinette was sleeping peacefully when Tikki bit her ear, waking her up.

"What!" She shouted, wincing in pain.

The kwami was hovering over her, her eyes wide with terror.

"Marinette, transform now. An akuma is heading straight for you and it's powerful." She warned.

"Right. Tikki, Spots on!" She called, red light washing over her.

Ladybug opened the trapdoor and looked over her balcony. Just then, she saw a jet of purple light streaking right towards her home.

She bit back a curse, flinging her yo-yo and derailing the akuma, making it crash on the ground.

She jumped out and glared at it. Even underneath the makeup and purple skin, she could recognise her anywhere.

"Going somewhere, Lila?" She drawled.

"Ladybug! What are you doing here?" She asked before smirking. "Doesn't matter. I'll destroy you and then punish that horrible girl."

* * *

Plagg sensed it immediately. The dark energy was so powerful.

"Kid, you need to get up right now!" He shouted, shoving Adrien.

"Not now..." He mumbled.

"Kid!" He growled, pulling the pillow from underneath his head.

"What! I'm up." Adrien yawned.

"Kid, there's an akuma headed for the Dupain Cheng Bakery. It's so powerful and it intends to kill. Ladybug is there but she needs your help."

Adrien nodded, his eyes wide alert. "Plagg, Claws Out!"

* * *

Wang Fu was flung across the room feeling the psychic vibrations of dark energy. As the Guardian, he was more sensitive to energies, compared to others even the Kwamis.

"Master!" His kwami, Wayzz cried out, flying to his side.

"I'm alright Wayzz." He reassured, getting up. "We must hurry. Ladybug and Chat Noir need our help immediately. Hawkmoth has surpassed all boundaries. He made an akuma with the intention of killing."

Wayzz nodded, having felt it too.

Master Fu took out the gramaphone from the table and opened the Miracle Box.

"It's time to use all the miraculouses." He declared. "We must take the fight to Hawkmoth."

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir fought side by side, repelling Lila's attacks. They hadn't got a chance to use their special attacks yet.

"You won't win." Lila laughed, hurling a fireball at Ladybug. Chat Noir jumped in front of her, spinning his baton and deflecting it.

"Give up, Lila. We have defeated you before. What makes you think that this time will be any different?" Chat glared at her.

Lila smirked, throwing her hands forward and purple smoke filled the streets. Before they could blink, three gargantuan monsters emerged from the smoke and charged at them.

Glaciator unleashed a wave of ice that sent them skidding across the floor. Gigantititan enclosed his hands around Chat, hoisting him in the air. Gorizilla ponded his fists against Ladybug, sending her slamming through the wall of a nearby record store.

"My Lady!" Chat screamed.

"I am the herald of Hawkmoth. I can recreate all the foes you've faced before." She smirked at them. "You two have no chance."

Ladybug grimaced standing up, wincing in pain. Her back hurt. It was going to be difficult to stop Lila this time but they had faced insurmountable odds before but they had always prevailed. She wished she could go to Master Fu for help and recruit some temporary heroes. But she couldn't risk it with Lila and her stooges on her tail.

Just then, a portal opened up behind Lila. A green shield smashed against Glaciator, reducing him to blocks of ice. A wave of fire cut through Gigantititan, forcing him to drop Chat Noir as he dissipated to smoke. A bolt of lightning struck Gorizilla, obliterating him entirely.

"What!" Lila screeched in disbelief. A yellow blur sped through the portal, hitting Lila. "Venom!" Queen Bee yelled, stabbing the villain with her spinning top, immobilising her with her miraculous magic.

Three other figures stepped out of the portal – Master Fu as Jade, Kagami as Ryuko and someone using the Horse miraculous, who definitely wasn't Max. He had pale white skin, blue hair and sea green eyes. Marinette could recognise him anywhere. It was Luka.

Queen Bee tore the fox necklace from Lila's neck and threw it at Chat Noir who broke it using Cataclysm and released the akuma. Ladybug quickly purified it without much fanfare.

All six of them glared at Lila, who stood surprised at the sudden turn of events. She blinked before breaking into a grin.

"Ladybug, you saved me! Thank you-"

"Save it Lie-la!" Chloe snorted. "Everyone here knows your true colours."

"Pegasus, one portal to the Police Station, if you don't mind." Master Fu said. Luka nodded, a portal opening underneath Lila, who screamed as she fell through it. Another portal appeared in front of them and they stepped through it, arriving directly in front of Officer Beaucomprix.

"Ladybug, what happened?" he asked, surprised at being confronted by so many heroes. Marinette saw several baffled policemen looking at them and also at Lila, who had appeared directly in lockup.

"That girl is a pathological liar, who willingly akumatised herself and tried to murder Marinette Dupain Cheng in her sleep." Chloe said, pointing at the brunette. "Do not release her and definitely don't let her get akumatised."

"Do you have proof?"

Ladybug winced. She was so tired of hearing that over and over again.

"I am the Guardian of the Miraculous. Believe me when I say that Lila Rossi is a willing accomplice of Hawkmoth, who helped him on five different occasions. She was responsible for the illusions on Heroes' Day, which resulted in the akumatisation of almost the entire city." Fu said curtly. "I have already reached out to Interpol, who will confirm this by accessing CCTV footage from cameras."

"I didn't do it, I swear. Hawkmoth made me do it!" She protested weakly.

"Sadly, no one believes you, Lila." Ryuko said simply. "I know first-hand you tried to hurt Ladybug even when you weren't akumatised."

"Don't worry. We'll make sure she is comfortable in her cell." The police officer nodded.

"No!" Lila screamed. "I can tell you who Hawkmoth is!"

All of them turned towards Lila, who inhaled deeply. "Everything I did was because he made me do it. Even in civilian form, he made me act horrible towards my friends and constantly lie to them. He forced me to frame Marinette in school and get her expelled. He tried to akumatise everyone at school that day but for some reason, didn't go through with it."

Chat and Ladybug's eyes widened, remembering that exact moment. Lila was telling the truth, at least part of it.

"Even if that's true, you went through with his plans instead of coming to authorities for help. That makes you equally accountable." Ryuko snapped.

Lila scowled at her momentarily before stopping herself. Tears welled up in her eyes. "You have to believe me. He threatened to hurt me and my family if I didn't."

Chloe looked at her disbelievingly.

"If you expose Hawkmoth, it might lessen the charges against you." Master Fu said gently. "Hawkmoth sees you nothing more than a pawn."

"Oh, I know that very well." Lila drawled. She looked up at them bitterly. "He is a horrible person. Everything I did was because he forced me to do it. He said if I didn't do as he said, he'd hurt my best friend, Adrien Agreste."

Chat Noir choked, glaring at Lila as she continued.

"Do you have any proof?" He pressed.

"Yes. You can confirm by checking my phone and legal contracts with the Agreste brand. He forced me to cling to Adrien and tried to cut him off from rest of our friends."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. She didn't like where this was going.

"Why does Hawkmoth care about Adrien?" Kagami asked.

Lila's lips twisted into a horrible smirk.

"Hawkmoth is Gabriel Agreste."


	4. Chapter 4

"What!" Chat Noir choked. "Gabriel Agreste is a reputed fashion designer not some criminal."

"Or so I thought." Lila looked up to match his eyes. "Gabriel told me to frame Marinette and expel her. The next moment, the entire class and Marinette is about to akumatised. Coincidence, I think not. Not to mention, his son had a book of miraculouses."

Ladybug and Master Fu shared a knowing look.

She relented. "He was a suspect, remember."

"Ladybug, this girl is a liar!" Chat Noir chortled. "We can't trust her."

"I'm not lying this time." The Italian said sweetly. "Officer, run an investigation on Mr Agreste. I am sure you'll find interesting things."

Just then, the brunette doubled over in pain and fell to the floor, choking. Ladybug narrowed her eyes. Officer Beaucomprix opened the cell and rushed to her side, checking her pulse.

"FOOLISH GIRL." Hawkmoth's voice echoed from Lila's mouth. "AFTER EVERYTHING I GAVE YOU, YOU RATTED ME OUT."

Lila's skin glowed purple and several butterfly tattoos covered her entire body. She screamed in pain, tears streaming down her eyes. Her eyes turned pitch black.

"Stop whatever you are doing to her!" Ladybug shouted.

"IT'S TOO LATE. I WILL HAVE YOUR MIRACULOUS AND FIX EVERYTHING."

Just like that, Lila exploded and unleashed a purple energy wave that swept them backwards.

As Ladybug opened her eyes, she saw Lila lying on the floor, her body a burning crisp.

"No..." She whispered. Whatever personal grudges she held against the liar, she never wanted her to be murdered.

She looked around to see purple smoke everywhere.

"Ladybug!" Master Fu called. Nearby they saw several akumas hovering over the police officers and even fluttering around the heroes.

"It's what I was afraid of." Fu looked down. "Lila danced with the devil. She agreed to be akumatised of her own will and tried to kill. Her heart was blackened. Hawkmoth used that to fuel a dark ritual."

"What?" Pegasus asked.

"He literally made Lila an akuma bomb and unleashed a wave of dark magic and specialised akumas. They won't possess people but manifest as the internal darkness of everyone in the city."

"In English please." Chloe snapped.

"These akuma butterflies will leach the negative emotions of everyone in the city and transform into akumatised villains." Master Fu explained. "Luckily we now know Hawkmoth's identity. We will apprehend Gabriel Agreste and stop him."

"How can you be-"

"I know it's hard to accept but it's the truth. We had our suspicions for a while and they just got confirmed. Are you in or out?" Master Fu asked pointedly. "He killed Lila moments prior. That can't be condoned even though Lila is far from innocent."

Chat sighed and nodded.

"YOU ARE TOO LATE." The butterflies fluttered before them making a visage of Hawkmoth's face. "I WILL ASK YOU ONE LAST TIME. SURRENDER YOUR MIRACULOUSES OR THE CITY WILL BURN. THERE WILL BE THOUSANDS OF AKUMAS ATTACKING CITIZENS IN THEIR HOMES AND STREETS. ARE YOU READY FOR THAT, LADYBUG?"

Ladybug faltered.

But Master Fu smirked. "We are. There are heroes spread across the entire city. My kwamis made sure of that."

"Do your worst, Gabby. We are coming for you." Chloe snorted.

The akumas dispersed before getting enveloped in purple smoke. Several Akumas stepped out of it, smirking at the heroes. Antibug, Silencer, OniChan, Riposte, Robocop, Chat Blanc and Princess Justice.

"THERE IS NOWHERE TO HIDE. I AM EVERYWHERE!" Hawkmoth's laughter sent chills down Marinette's spine. "I KNOW EVERYTHING NOW. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. ADRIEN, MY OWN SON. JOIN ME. I AM DOING THIS FOR YOU. I CAN BRING YOUR MOTHER BACK. WE CAN BE HAPPY AGAIN-"

"So it is you." Adrien said, looking at the akumas. "Not like this, father. Not like this."

Adrien was Chat. Chat was Adrien! Adrien was in love with her all this time! Normally Marinette would be head over heels on this revelation. Now it mattered very little. They had to stop Hawkmoth and fast!

"MARINETTE DUPAIN CHENG, YOU ARE TALENTED. I WILL SPARE YOUR FAMILY. RIGHT NOW THEY ARE CORNERED BY TWO OF MY DEADLIEST AKUMAS. GIVE UP YOUR MIRACULOUS-"

"Don't listen to them, Marinette." Master Fu said. "Your parents are safe. I made sure of it."

"AND YOU, THE GUARDIAN. I KNOW YOUR GREATEST FAILURE. YOU ARE THE REASON THIS HAPPENED. IF YOU HADN'T DESTROYED YOUR COLLEAGUES, MY WIFE WOULDN'T HAVE GOT SICK FROM YOUR MIRACULOUS."

"Stop the blame game. We are coming for you, Hawkmoth." Ladybug snarled.

Pegasus nodded, opening a portal and the heroes leapt through it. But not before the akumas followed them, leaving only Robocop stalking towards the terrified police officers.

* * *

Hawkmoth grinned in his layer. He was close to finally getting his hands on the miraculouses. By sacrificing Lila, he had been able to create physical manifestations of the potential akumas in the entire area, including Ladybug and Chat Noir. That gave him access to their darkest thoughts and their identities.

He had suspected Adrien to be Chat Noir and Miss Dupain Cheng honestly surprised him as Ladybug. But it made sense, he supposed. No wonder, she resisted akumatisation.

However something was amiss. They jumped through a portal, leaving Robocop to attack policemen. That was unusual. All across the city, his akumas rampaged.

Just before they all started getting beaten. How?

He peered into their minds and saw through their eyes. He stepped back in horror, tripping backwards. He relied on his cane to stand up.

In his hurry to win, he hadn't realised how desperate he'd made the Guardian.

* * *

Verity Queen and Weredad had forced the Dupain Chengs to a corner.

Tom shielded his wife, waving his casserole at the villains.

Just then a wave of white light pushed the akumas back and two small plushies modelled after a tiger and gorilla appeared Infront of them, each holding a bracelet.

"There is no time. Take this and transform." The tiger said, strapping the bracelet across Sabine's arm. "There is a city wide akuma attack. Ladybug and Chat Noir needs your help."

Tom and Sabine looked at each other and nodded.

The white light dissipated. Tigress and King Kong pounced at the villains.

* * *

Alya and Nino ran through the corridor as Lady Wifi and Bubbler followed them.

Nora was warding off Anansi while Ella and Etta were giving Sapotis a run for their money.

Trixx and another kwami flew at them past the akumas and gave them their miraculouses.

"Nice timing." Nino smiled. "Wait, how do I transform?"

"Just say 'Xuppu, Show time'." The monkey kwami yawned.

Nino nodded.

Alya smiled at him.

They stopped running and turned around, catching the akumas off guard.

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

"Xuppu, Show time!"

Rena Rogue and King Monkey charged at the akumas.

* * *

All across Paris, random citizens became heroes to protect their families and friends from akumas.

Hawkmoth growled as Mayura joined him. They won't win this time. He had put everything at stake, from his secret identity to his reputation. Failure wasn't an option.

* * *

Explosions rocked the mansion. A portal opened in front the house, depositing the heroes and their akumatised counterparts.

"We need to destroy them quick." Fu said. "They are constructs. There is no need to hold back."

Kagami nodded, sending a wave of blazing fire from her sword that completely incinerated Antibug, Princess Justice and Onichan. Chloe had immobilised the other akumas.

"You heard him." Ladybug said.

Master Fu held her back. "You and Chat Noir need to stop Hawkmoth."

Ladybug nodded. Chat looked uncertain.

"Ready, Chaton?"

"You and me against the world, bugaboo or is it Maribug now?" He smiled at Marinette.

"We'll talk about it later, hotstuff." She winked at him. Chat choked and Marinette became red.

"Anyway, let's capture Hawkmoth." She ordered. "Its your house. Do you have any idea where he could be hiding?"

"No." He shook his head.

Another portal opened before them. It was Max, who was accompanied by his robot, Markov.

"How did you get here?" Ladybug asked confused.

"You will need his help." Luka said, kicking the Vocalizer and Chat Blanc through a portal to deep space. The snake miraculous bracelet glinted in his arm, as he took off the horse miraculous, turning into Viperion.

"Thank you." Marinette smiled. She hadn't realized Luka was using the snake miraculous too. He truly was special.

"Adrien, don't let yourself get akumatised by your father." Luka warned. "That was how we lost the last time and I was forced to use the snake miraculous to escape."

Adrien's eyes went wide. To know his father was a villain was one thing, but he never thought Gabriel would go so far as to akumatise him.

"Right." He nodded.

Luka came over to them and passed the horse miraculous to Max.

"I have detected three heat signatures in a hidden chamber inside the house." The robot informed them as Max transformed to Pegasus.

"Three… Mayura must also be there and Mom? Maybe they were keeping her there for all this time."

"We will save her." Marinette promised.

Max looked over the coordinates in Markov's visor. "I think I can open a direct portal there."

Another portal opened and the heroes stepped through it, ready to face their arch nemeses once and for all.

* * *

Bunnyx saw all this from her own dimension. This was not good. The akumas were all over the city, wreaking havoc and fighting the vast number of heroes who'd surfaced thanks to Master Fu's quick thinking and sending off all the kwamis in the Miracle Box to select worthy users to protect the city.

But the dark ritual Hawkmoth had used broke the fabric of reality. She could feel the timestream being torn apart by the resulting chaos energies, unleashing threats that would make Hawkmoth look like a child. Demons that had been sealed from the beginning of time.

Alix pursed her lips. There was only one way to stop this, even though she was sure she would be breaking the most important rule Bunnyx had told her about time travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I went there. Lila is dead, at least for now.
> 
> And yeah, an akuma bomb seemed like a nice idea at that time.
> 
> And identities are finally revealed. Normally it may have been more dramatic but it's in the middle of the battle and their arch enemy outed them. Their main priority is stopping Hawkmoth now.


	5. Chapter 5

Nothing in life was certain. One moment, she was ready for a new beginning… away from her old school and Lila. The next moment, her old classmates apologised to her for not supporting her. To be honest, maybe she had overreacted a bit but she didn't regret following her heart. Then Lila could akumatised again, was killed by Hawkmoth and basically used as an akuma bomb. Now there were akumatised villains all over the city and Master Fu had released all the kwamis in the miraculous box to select new wielders and protect the city. Last but not the least, she now knew Chat Noir's secret identity and also Hawkmoth's! Her heart bled for poor Adrien. His father was an evil supervillain and he was forced to fight against him.

She didn't have a high opinion of Gabriel Agreste before but now she knew that man would do anything to get the miraculouses including akumatise his own son. Like he did in the aborted timeline where Chat Blanc had destroyed the entire planet.

After all this, she would be there for her chaton. That was a promise.

They crossed the portal to find themselves in middle of a green garden with white akumas flying all over the place. She noticed a glass coffin in the middle of the garden.

"Mom!" Adrien shouted, noticing the serene woman sleeping peacefully in the coffin.

"I would like to avoid any conflict." Hawkmoth said, appearing from behind them. "The reason I need the miraculouses are to save my wife. Surely, you understand."

"Don't fool yourself, Hawkmoth." Master Fu said. "There were other ways to seek help than resorting to villainy. You victimised everyone from innocent toddlers to grieving adults and turned them into monsters. You took advantage of everyone's emotions on a daily basis. What you have done are crimes against humanity and you will be punished."

"Adrien, all I did was to save your mother."

"You endangered me and my friends daily." Adrien said coldly. "Give up your miraculous, surrender to the authorities and we'll try to save mom together."

"Forgive me, son but this will all be worth it." He released an akuma directly at Adrien from his cane. Mayura swooped down and tackled Ladybug to the ground.

Queen Bee and Ryuko leapt at the villainess, throwing her off the hero.

"That won't work, father." Adrien grabbed the akuma in his hands, crushing it with his catacalysm.

"Then you leave me no choice." Gabriel sighed, charging at Adrien. His cane struck Chat's baton. "Why must you always be so stubborn?"

Purple bolts of energy exploded from the butterfly miraculous, throwing all of them back.

"What have you done?" Master Fu whispered, as a purple mist started to envelop the garden.

In midst of the chaos, Chloe swiped the peacock brooch from a disoriented Mayura. A navy light blinded them as Nathalie stumbled to the floor, still disoriented.

"Nathalie!" Hawkmoth shouted, coming to her aid.

A portal over them, and a beam shooted up, blowing through the rest of the building. The ceiling collapsed upon them.

"Shelter!" Fu shouted and a green shield appeared over all of them, including Hawkmoth and Nathalie.

"Emilie!" Hawkmoth shouted as the rubble crashed through the glass coffin and flames spread through the garden.

The shield shimmered away and they looked up to see five humanoid creatures unlike anything they had seen before. They seemed to be living shadows with glowering red eyes and had animalistic features.

The one in the centre, their leader turned towards Hawkmoth. "You freed us. For that, you have our gratitude. Allow us to properly thank you."

He shot towards Hawkmoth, his hand twisting into a sharp blade. With a swift strike, he stabbed Hawkmoth.

Gabriel Agreste choked as his transformation failed.

"Father!" Adrien shouted, catching his father as he fell. He lowered Gabriel to the floor as he tried to press the bledding hole in Gabriel's torso.

"I'm sorry, Adrien." Gabriel coughed blood.

"Gabriel!" Nathalie screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"Nathalie…" He smiled, touching her face. "Take care of my son."

"Gabriel!" She shouted. She turned towards the heroes. "Anyone, help."

"It's too late. Look after them…" Gabriel said, before his body went limp.

"NO!" Adrien let out a heart wrenching sob. How did things get so bad so fast? In one day, he discovered his father was a supervillain and his missing mother was hidden in their own house, and in that very day, he lost both his parents for a second time. What had he done to deserve this fate? He briefly registered Nathalie place her hands on his shoulder as he cried over his father's fallen form. He might not have been a good man but everything he did was for their family. He deserved justice and maybe a life sentence for his crimes but this was a far cry from any justice.

* * *

Chloe choked on her tears. The possibility of death in the battlefield was not something she took lightly.

Though she hid it carefully, she had sleepless nights over almost causing a train crash the first time she ran wild with her miraculous.

Adrien was Chat Noir and Maritrash was her Ladybug! That revelation was unexpected but not unbelievable. Her respect for Marinette had grown a lot ever since she helped fix her relationship with her mom.

She admitted she wasn't the nicest person in Paris. Hell, she might even be the worst with the number of people she'd got indirectly akumatised but she was genuinely trying to be better.

Marinette was perfect. That was the reason she always tried to sabotage the girl. And it didn't help that she had a bit of an unrequited crush on her.

It was ironic how she idolised Ladybug but hated Marinette. That had changed a lot but she had to be better.

And as she saw both Gabriel and Emilie be killed by these 'demons', her heart went out for Adrikins.

She knew the despair of losing her parents from back in Heroes' Day when they were akumatised but this was a million times worse. There was no way to fix them.

She saw Marinette scream as the demon kill Hawkmoth.

She turned towards the five shadowy figures and leapt at them, swinging her yo-yo, skillfully dodging their attacks and scoping out them for weaknesses.

She turned towards Kagami and nodded.

"STUPID GIRL, WE HAVE NO WEAKNESSES. NO AKUMATISED OBJECT YOU CAN CRUSH TO END THE FIGHT. ALL OF YOU WILL DIE AND WE WILL HAVE THE UNLIMITED POWERS OF THE MIRACULOUSES."

"Who are you?" Marinette narrowed her eyes.

"WE ARE THE HIGH DEMONS FROM THE DREAD DIMENSION." The leader said. "AND YOUR WORLD IS NOW OUR WORLD AND YOUR TIME IS NOW OVER."

"Utterly ridiculous." Chloe snorted. Everyone looked at her incredulously. She winked at Ladybug. She held the peacock miraculous and Duusu appeared before her and whispered the transformation command to her.

"Duusu, Spread my wings!"

A blinding white light filled the ruins of the Agreste Mansion. When the light subsided, a new heroine was standing in place of Chloe.

Her suit was similar to Queen Bee's except the black portions of her suit was now purple and twin purple capes adorned with peacock feathers flowing down from her waist to her knees.

"I AM THE MIRACLE QUEEN." She shouted.

Master Fu's eyes widened.

"Chloe, don't! The peacock miraculous is damaged!"

Chloe could feel a weakness creeping in but the power she had was worth it.

She plucked several feathers from the peacock fan and blew it to the air, willing it to attach to random objects in the ruins like discarded keychains and jewelry.

She smirked as seven giant robots appeared in the sky and faced the demons. Each of them resembled a particular hero- Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee, Rena Rogue, King Monkey, Carapace and Ryoko.

She had to thank Adrien later on for all those anime and tokusatsu marathons they watched together because this was definitely inspired by those ridiculous mecha in Voltron or heck, even the zords from Power Rangers.

The heroes looked in amazement as the robots tackled the demons.

Master Fu took the butterfly miraculous from Gabriel and raised it. Purple energy flashed inwards and a wave of white light burst out of the pin and spread across the entire city, and the citywide akuma attack ceased instantly.

Nooroo appeared before him, teary eyed.

"I tried to stop him..." He said, looking at Adrien and Nathalie crying over Gabriel's fallen form.

"It's not your fault." Fu said gently. "I have no idea how to stop these demons. We have to fight and hope for the best."

He turned towards Nathalie. "I don't know how involved you were with Hawkmoth, but things have escalated beyond control. If we do not stop this threat now, they will kill everyone including Adrien. Are you willing to help and fight as a hero? Do you want to avenge Hawkmoth?"

Nathalie nodded accepting the miraculous, her eyes narrowing.

"Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!"

White akumas swirled around her as she transformed to Lady Papillion. The akumas were no longer dark but bright white. They fluttered and attached itself to the heroes, rejuvenating their powers and granted them full access without any time limits.

No matter what happened, Nathalie vowed to fix things.

* * *

Marinette had never felt so stressed in her life. Things were happening so fast that she barely had any time to react. She could feel Tikki becoming weak but still holding on and maintaining the transformation. She knew the other kwamis weren't doing better. It was the battle of their lives and she wasn't sure that they would win.

And then the white akumas merged with their miraculouses, rejuvenating their powers.

She looked on as the robot sentimonster versions of them fought the demons. But they weren't doing so well. Demons were tearing through their robotic limbs.

The portal was still open and smaller demons were constantly emerging out.

"We need to stop the portal." Ladybug said.

"Can I catacalysm it?" Chat asked, finally removing himself from Gabriel.

"No. The portal is a tear in the dimensional wall. If you catacalysm it, you will widen the tear and more demons would come in." Fu stated. "Don't worry. Help is on it's way."

Other miraculous wielders ran across rooftops to their direction. Marinette could see Rena, King Monkey among them. And was that her parents and Officer Rancomprix with them? There were more than fifty heroes coming their way.

"THAT WON'T HELP YOU." One of the demons said, decapitating the robot Ladybug with his talons.

"YOU WILL ALL DIE!" Another roared as the last sentimonster fell.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Officer Rancomprix, Sabrina's dad shouted. After the heroes left the police station, Ziggy the goat kwami showed up and empowered him to be the hero Capricorn and he was able to take down Robocop.

Ladybug whipped out her yoyo, cutting through a demon. Chat bashed his baton against another. Everyone of them were being pushed to the limit.

"If I open a portal in close proximity to the demon portal, the dimensional waves may cancel each other." Max suggested.

"No don't!" Viperion shouted, panting. "That backfires and we were all sucked into the Dread Dimension."

Ladybug looked at him. "How many times have you used Second Chance?"

Chat's eyes perked up. "Can you use it to save my dad?"

Luka looked down, his eyes tearing up. "More than hundred times. Every time I do, no matter what I try, Hawkmoth dies. I am sorry, Adrien."

Chat bit his lips.

"I'm sorry, Chat. We will figure it out." Ladybug reassured, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe if we use our miraculouses and-"

"NO!" Fu said sharply. "There's always a price when you use the wish. If you do wish for your parents to return to life, either you or someone else you love will die in their stead."

Chat gulped.

Kagami let loose a wave of fire that incinerated a horde of demons.

Other heroes were also doing their best. But the odds were stacked against them. Sixty heroes against a thousand monsters.

Just then, another portal opened and Bunnyx came through it.

"Don't worry, Ladybug. Help is here."

She charged at the demons, whacking them left and right with her umbrella. She snapped her fingers and the portal widened to become several yards and an army of people, all dressed in red or black came out.

Ladybug's jaw hung open.

"NO FREAKING WAY!" Rena yelped from above as the previous holders of the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses joined the battle.


	6. Chapter 6

Alya couldn't believe it. There was no chance they could lose now.

All her research was right. After being hoodwinked by Lila, she'd started to doubt her journalistic integrity but everything she'd researched was true.

Hours of pouring her eyes out in the internet and reaching out to conspiracy theorists was all worth it! She saw an Amazon Ladybug swing her yoyo like a whip and take down several demons. She unsheathed her sword, swekering through the enemy forces. For a minute, Alya thought it was Wonderwoman herself.

Then there was an Egyptian priestess, a Vietnamese warrior, a Japanese Kunoichi, an Aztec, a Muskeeter, a Muskeeter... some of them were males but all wore armour or dresses themed after a ladybug.

She played her flute, creating illusions of robot sentimonsters and making the giant demons attack themselves.

"Impressive." She turned around and blinked twice. Was that Hercules wielding the black cat miraculous? He winked at her much to Nino's displeasure before tearing through demon using his Catacalysm.

She turned around and saw the cat miraculous welders... they were a raging force. Like the past Ladybugs, they seemed to be from different parts of the world.

"It's time, Ladybug." Bunnyx yelled. "Use the Lucky Charms"

Led by Marinette, they yelled, each in their respective languages. A white beam emerged out of the sky and closed the portal, stopping the inflow of demons.

Chloe swayed backwards as she powered down to her Queen Bee. Kagami caught her before she fell.

A demon sped at the two, launching a blast of daek energy that knocked them out of their transformations.

It grabbed Kagami by the neck and raised it's other hand.

"NO!" Nathalie screamed, a burst of white akumas flowing straight at the demon, forcing it to drop Kagami.

White light spread throughout it's body like cracks before it exploded.

"YOU!" Another demon lunged at her, it's arm transforming itself to a scythe. Lady Papillion defended herself with the cane. It was a stalemate. And that very moment, she felt weakness creeping throughout her body... a sideffect of using the broken peacock miraculous.

She stumbled backwards. Taking advantage of her weakness, the demon cut through her torso with his scythe and threw her body backwards. Her eyes were wide as her transformation failed. Her body burst in flames and the miraculous clattered on the floor.

"NATHALIE!" Adrien screamed. He couldn't believe it. He lost another parent to the demons.

"CATACLYSM!" He shouted, punching his fist through the demon, watching it crumble to dust.

The other heroes were fighting minor demons. And the past miraculous holders had destroyed all but one high demon... the one that killed his father and the most powerful demon out of all of them.

It started to laugh, purple smoke gathering around him before spiralling outwards, creating a shockwave that forced them to their knees.

"FOOLISH GUARDIANS." He shouted. "YOU RESORTED TO TIME TRAVEL AND RECRUITED RANDOM CIVILIANS TO BATTLE, STILL YOU LOST. AND I AM FREE!"

"You did this, didn't you?" Bunnyx accused. "You are Chronos, the demon of time."

"YES. THOUGH MY PRISON PREVENTED ME FROM GETTING OUT, I WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO MANIPULATE EVENTS JUST ENOUGH. I TOLD HAWKMOTH ABOUT THE AKUMA RITUAL. DESPERATE PATHETIC HUMAN, WILLING TO TRY EVERYTHING TO SAVE HIS FAMILY. WEAK!"

"Shut up!" Adrien shouted, tears streaming through his eyes.

The past miraculous holders

"Marinette, take Adrien's miraculous. You need his power to stop this guy." Bunnyx intoned sadly. "But you'll die. I have seen it in countless timelines. It's the only way to stop him."

Ladybug choked. Was it the only way? She sniffed. Was it her destiny to always sacrifice herself? What about her dreams and future? Then she looked at the others... her parents, Chat, Alya, Luka... All of them could have died but they still chose to fight. She could save them.

"Okay. I will do it." She whispered. "Tell my parents and Alya."

"NO!" Chat cried. "I have lost everyone. I can't lose her too."

"Think about this, Marinette." Luka pleaded.

"I have. If my friends and family are safe, then that's all that matters." She said firmly, before pulling him close and kissing him on the lips. "Thank you for always believing in me."

Luka swallowed, letting her go.

She turned towards Chat, hugging him. "Oh kitty, I love you. I have always loved you, Adrien. I wish I could be there for you but you need to be strong for me."

She tilted his head up. Their eyes met and without hesitation, she pressed her lips against his. It was brief but passionate. He held her close. Tears streamed from her eyes as she broke away from the kiss.

"I need your ring." She said, trying to put on a brave face.

"Don't do this, milady." He begged.

"I have to."

"I know. That's why I am sorry." Before she could react, Chat pulled the ladybug earings off her. She fell backwards, a flash of red light washed over her body as her transformation faded.

"ADRIEN, NO!" She screamed, as the love of her life put on the earrings.

"PLAGG, TIKKI FUSE!"

A blinding white light spread throughout the city, eradicating all the minor demons it touched.

The high demons fell backwards, shielding his eyes.

Adrien was no longer in his Chat Noir suit. He was radiating with energy. It was impossible to look at him because he was so bright. It was as if he was the sun.

The past miraculous holders made a way for him as he walked slowly towards the demon. Bunnyx snapped her fingers and a time portal appeared underneath the past heroes' feets, dragging them back to their own timelines.

"I'm sorry, Minibug." She looked at Marinette sadly before vanishing through another portal.

"Adrien!" Marinette made a run for her but Luka held her back.

"DON'T DO IT, CHAT! PLEASE!"

Chat said nothing, becoming as tall as the giant demon.

"No! Get away from me!" The demon shouted.

Adrien said nothing and took hold of it's hand and white light spread through the demon and it screamed as it went up in flames.

But Adrien's work was far from over. He clapped his hands together and released a shockwave that spread throughout the world. But as the wave passed through the transformed heroes, they reverted back to their original forms and the kwamis and miraculouses vanished.

"He is really doing it!" Fu gasped, hos armour disappearing and Wayzz hovering infront him with a smile before fading.

"What is he doing?" Marinette asked.

"He is returning the miraculouses to the ether. The Kwamis are being sent back to where they came from... the spirit world. It's finally over." Fu said.

The glow surrounding Adrien vanished, and he reduced to normal size before crashing to the ground.

"ADRIEN!"

She ran at him. His body was ashen and bloody. He looked at her, his eyes swollen and face bruised.

"My lady, I love you." He smiled at her. Marinette teared up, holding his hand. There were no traces of the earrings or the ring.

"Why did you have to do that? I love you, Chaton. It should have been me." She wept.

"No. I have lost everything. I wouldn't have been able to live if I lost you too." He coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

"Hang on, Adrien. I can't lose you." She begged. But Adrien's hand became limp and his head rolled to the side.

"ADRIEN!" She screamed.

It would be hours before her parents managed to separate her from him. It would be months before she opened up and years before she allowed herself to love again.

* * *

All three Agrestes' bodies were recovered and entombed side by side. A monument was errected in Adrien's honour for his heroic sacrifice as Chat Noir.

The fashion label was taken over by the CEOs and the mansion was reconstructed as a hospital.

The Agreste wealth was donated to various charities.

People knew that Adrien was a hero. Though some knew his father's double identity as Hawkmoth, that fact never spread to the wider public. The Agrestes, Nathalie Sancoeur and Lila Rossi were seen as casualties of Hawkmoth's terrorism and the demon attack.

Collège Françoise Dupont was closed after several accounts of bullying and student neglect. Marinette and her parents inspired other kids to stand up for themselves and tell their guardians about several bullying incidents and the teachers who did little or nothing to stop them. The Mayor was reelected over abuse of power.

Marinette became somewhat of a celebrity after her identity as Ladybug was outed in that battle. But she avoided the spotlight and moved away from Paris for a while. She suffered from PTSD and it took a while and a lot of therapy to recover. After that she became a fashion designer just like she always wanted and started her own label. Eventually she married Luka, a rising rockstar and had a son, they named after Adrien.

Alya kept in touch with Marinette and married Nino. To nobody's surprise, she became a journalist and Nino became a DJ.

Chloe took over her father's business. Kagami became a cop. They bonded over their shared loss of Adrien and eventually married.

All of her friends went to live happy and fulfilling lives.

* * *

If there was one thing Marinette had learnt, it was to trust herself. And yes, she'd always look out for others and save them as a hero, but she was done seeing the best in people. She was done giving second or third chances to those who don't deserve it. And she was not going to sacrifice her own time and energy for people who took her for granted.

She was finally happy and even though she was keeping people at arm's length, she realised she didn't need a boyfriend to be complete. And she had friends but she was allowed to have her own space and own goals.

It was okay to not be perfect.

It was okay to put herself first.

Her life was not perfect. There is no 'miraculous cure' to loss, betrayal, heartbreak or sadness. Life was full of twists and turns. And happiness isn't a destination, it's a state of mind. She accepted that she didn't need to be everything for everyone.

Marinette missed Adrien and Chat Noir. But that part of her life was over. She was not going down Gabriel Agreste's path and obsessing over how to get him back. Loss is a part of life. Millions of people lose their loved ones to disease, accidents or even old age. Superheroes were no different.

She'd always treasure Adrien and Chat's memories. But Marinette loved him enough to let him go.

He sacrificed himself to save her and the rest of the universe. And she was not going to let his sacrifice be in vain.

Marinette felt Luka hug her from behind. It had been ten years since the Battle... since she'd last been Ladybug or seen Tikki and the other kwamis... since she saw Adrien.

She felt her son cry out from his cradle.

Marinette scooped baby Adrien in his arms and cooed at him. Luka made faces at their son behind her.

She saw his green eyes sparkle with amusement as he started to giggle.

Green eyes just like her chaton.

She missed him. But in many ways, he'd never left her.

She still loved him. And that was okay. She didn't love Luka any less.

It was okay to love more than one person.

And she loved herself.

Through the pain and loss, she reinvented herself to be stronger.

Marinette smiled. It didn't make much sense but it was okay not to know everything. It was okay to be herself. It was okay to accept others' love and kindness. There was still good and selflessness in the world. She won't stop being good or helping others. Of course she'd not be naive as she once was, but she'd always be a hero with or without her earrings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys. The final chapter. I know nobody expected the story to end like this when they started reading. Heck, even I didn't plan on doing this. But this is where the story took me. I hope you enjoyed the story. Tell me what you think of the ending in the comments.
> 
> I know many of you were expecting Marinette to forget about her old school and get new friends instead of a city wide akuma attack, demon invasion and character deaths. I won't lie. I started the story with that intention and it was supposed to be a rewrite of entire Season 2/3 with Ocs and new heroes. Then I realized that I loved the old school and yes, the Ladybug episode and several others had Marinette's friends favouring Lila but they aren't bad people. Remember in 'Befana', all of her friends threw themselves in harm's way to save her. Would fake friends do that? In the Startrain episode, Alya stopped Lila from waking up Adrienette when they fell asleep together. Alya always supported Marinette and she was Ooc in several season 2/3 episodes. Season 1 established her as a dedicated journalist and the next season had her falling for lies.
> 
> And I'm ranting... Honestly, I believe ML would have been much more enjoyable without making everyone gullible and stupid to fall head over heels for Lila's lies. And I sincerely hope that Season 4 resolves this. I love ML but it's stretching things out a lot and it's always the same dynamic with some minor added elements in the next seasons. I loved the movie though.
> 
> Anyways, please review. I don't think I'll be doing a sequel but I have two other ML stories in the works which I'll update soon. You can check them out- No Hand to Hold and Start of Something New.
> 
> Hope you're all staying safe and taking necessary precautions in the pandemic.


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